Sources. Doesn’t that ring of intrigue, mystery? All those journalist quoting “reliable sources.” Or, “anonymous source.” Reporters being jailed for contempt of court. I don’t know how it works in today’s age of information. The Internet certainly opened a free flow of information. Still, knowledge is power, especially for people who make their living spreading the word.

It may not seem as important for a photographer but, as I stated earlier, writing or telling the story is the key to selling pictures. It is important to know your subject and understand all that it involves. It isn’t necessarily about the “scoop.” It is really about presenting the truth objectively. That requires knowledge of your subject.

I didn’t set out to develop sources. As a matter of fact, it happened quite serendipitously. Sources found me.

I don’t have the personality expected of a journalist. I’m timid. I avoid starting conversations and am very hesitant about pointing a camera into someone’s face. I gravitated to people I knew at the races in Europe; Brad Lackey, Mike Guerra, Danny LaPorte. I would hang around their pit area; just passing time and watching the mechanics prep the bikes. The riders were usually indisposed – resting and avoiding disconcerting conversation with fans and press. I gradually got to know the mechanics. They were busy too, but always acknowledged my presence. We soon began to talk. A certain amount of trust developed.

Voila! I had sources. I don’t mean “deep throat” or anything like that but the more we talked the more I learned. And, the more I did not write about what they said the more they said.  

The key is trust. If you are going to tell the world what a source has told you – tell him. If he asks you to not report something, you have to honor that trust. The trust also helped me later.  People started to offer information or help.  I was surprised at a race when Brad Lackey suggested that I position myself at a certain place for a great picture.  And when Jim Gibson inked a deal with Yamaha to race the FIM 125cc Motocross World Championship, I got my scoop.

Gibson was on the USA Motocross and Trophee des Nations team in 1982. I covered those races and enjoyed getting to know the team. While there Jim Gibson agreed to a deal with Yamaha. A friend (source) suggested that I ask Jim if he would be racing in Europe in 1983. I was shocked but made the opportunity to quietly ask Gibson the question. He was probably as shocked by my question as I had been by my source. Gibson confirmed the deal. We discussed his plans in whispers and I had a scoop. To this day, I am proud of that story.

I broke the story in the Stars & Stripes. My mentor, Randy Barnett, was almost as proud of me as I was of myself. Of course, the news made its way around the motocross circles in Europe. That caused a stir. Other photojournalist couldn’t believe it. Henny Ray Abrams, current contributor to Cycle News, and I had hung together in Europe. Henny Ray was a UPI photographer at the time, submitting his cycle stuff to Cycle News. He seemed to doubt the news and was curious about my source. I never told him. I can reveal now that it was a mechanic. The story finally broke in Motorcyclist Magazine as a profile on Jim Gibson and his tuner, Super Wrench Bill Buchka.

I will end another article with emphasis on TRUST. You have to honor a trust and be true to your word. Sometimes it is hard to keep your mouth shut. 

l8r

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After that first successful outing, I was on cloud nine and feeling very confident in my abilities. I was still on active duty in the army and trying to work my new obsession into the schedule. Getting to the races was problematic but knowing what to write was even more so. I soon learned that race reports were too time sensitive to sell. Reports were fine for The Stars & Stripes, my source of credentials, but magazines of the day were printed ninety days after the races. I needed a hook – an attention getter.

This image of Brad Lackey riding in a snowstorm at the Swiss 500 GP was the hook for an article that sold. It is an example of a picture selling the story. Maybe it is an example of “a picture is equal to a thousand words.” If I remember correctly, the report was less than 500 words.

I covered the Austrian 250 GP in Swannenstadt where I met Mike Guerra. Mike was in his first year on the World Championship circuit with full sponsorship from Husqvarna. He had enjoyed only moderate success in AMA Nationals. His best season was a sixth place finish. Selling his story was much more difficult. Editors rejected the story because “Americans are not interested in a sixth place racer riding in Europe.” Winning sells. I needed a hook.

I found my hook in the Russians Guennedy Moiseev and Vladimir Kavinov. The 1974 title was literally stolen from Czechoslavian Jaroslav Falta (CZ) by Russians Moiseev and Kavinov (KTM) and FIM politics. Guennedy Moiseev was awarded the 250cc World Championship in a controversy that continues to this day. The three were still racing in 1981, and still received a lot of interest whenever they were in the same race, especially since all three were riding CZ. I used that controversy as the hook for my Mike Guerra submission. After getting that first submission accepted, follow-ups were expected.

Quotable athletes always make good subjects. Most are hesitant to say much. I don’t know why. Maybe that is part of their factory agreement? Marty Tripes was not hesitant. I loved talking to Marty. He seemed to be a handful for Husqvarna, his 1981 World Championship sponsor. He once told me that he was riding in Europe for $85,000 less than he could make in the US. One of my editors got a big laugh from that quote. I had no idea what it was all about. I guess Marty was prone to stretching the story?

Another time Marty showed up to race with Showa Forks on his Husky. He was not especially complimentary of his sponsor’s machine, saying that the 390 Husqvarna sucked compared to the older 360 models.

When he trashed the rear wheel during the race, his Husqvarna employed mechanic was furious. I am sure he was cursing but mostly in Swedish. I did catch a few words of English, however, as he would look toward Tripes and yell, “86 kilo! He 86 kilo,” indicating that Marty was a bit overweight.

Marty Tripes had such a natural talent for racing that he may have avoided the strenuous conditioning programs followed by Brad Lackey and most other successful racers. No matter, Marty was colorful, fun to be around, and there was no denying … he was one of the best ever to race motocross. Following is a shot of him with Cingoli, Italy in the background. This was taken before he trashed the rear wheel. 

The point of all this rambling is – be flexible. You must learn to pay attention and let the story develop around you … and your pictures.

More next week.

l8r

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My introduction to “motojournalism” goes all the way back to 1980. I attended a World Championship Motocross race in Gaildorf West Germany, where American Brad Lackey was chasing his dream of becoming the first American to win a motocross world championship. It was a terrible day – dark, raining and muddy, but I got close enough to take a few decent pictures. I used those images to query an editor (Art Friedman at Motorcyclist Magazine) about providing coverage of Lackey’s pursuit of the championship.  Imagine my delight when he responded with positive interest.

The unrestricted access, however, came from a query letter to the motor sports editor at The Stars & Stripes, the newspaper for American military members and their families. The editor, Randy Barnett, provided a stack of Stars & Stripes letterhead, a press pass, and contacts for securing credentials to all FIM World Championship Motorcycle racing. That was my biggest break. Randy coached me on “newspaper” writing (reporting.)  Over the next few years we attended several races together and became good friends.

While taping the interview with Lackey, he told me about Mike Guerra, an American from Connecticut, who was racing a Husky in the 250cc class. I also learned that Marty Tripes was just a few vans away. He had a Husqvarna ride. I got a few pictures and some good quotes from Marty Tripes that I managed to sell to Cycle Magazine and Cycle Guide. Do you remember them?  

It was also before digital cameras. We set our own exposures and autofocus was a dream.  I had access to a military photography lab, develping the black and white Tri-X film and making my own 8X10 prints. I would select a few images for each of several magazines – Cycle World, Cycle, Cycle Guide are the ones I remember. Each print needed detailed captions with a cover letter for each package. I did not have assignments. I was sending this stuff at my own expense … strictly on speculation. I made pretty good money, however, and the speculation soon led to paid assignments.

I was very glad to have completed my interview before the race. Lackey was not in a good mood after the race. I took note of that. I always try to talk with racers while they are most approachable – before they have a chance to lose. 

L8r

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Several years ago, I was present for the release of some rehabilitated birds of prey back into the wild.  It was a thrilling event and I took some very up close pictures of wild things.  This image of a Red-tailed Hawk is one of my all-time favorites. 

The birds were released at DeGray Lake Resort State Park in Arkansas.  It was just by chance that we happened to be there.  I don’t remember the organization that provided the care and rehabilitation.  Most organizations that do such work are staffed by volunteers with any financial support coming  primarily from donations. 

 When my wife read about a bird of prey release scheduled for our local area, I could hardly wait to confirm our reservations.  It was taking place in conjunction with a weekend cruise on our local lake.  The Vanishing Texas River Cruise is something we had talked about but never quite got around to doing. 

Last Chance Forever, The Bird of Prey Conservancy is a 501(C)(3) Non-Profit organization based in San Antonio, Texas that receives, rehabilitates and releases back into the wild hundreds of sick, injured and orphaned raptors annually.  On Sunday, November 16, 2008, the conservancy joined with Vanishing Texas River Cruises to release two hawks and an owl over Lake Buchanan.  The joint venture was a great success for the cruise and for the conservancy.  And, it was the answer to a photographer’s dream.  It was very exciting to be so close to these wild and beautiful critters.

This Great Horned Owl is being very carefully handled as it is brought above deck for release in the Silver Creek area of Lake Buchanan.  These animals are wild and very frightened by the commotion around them.  They will strike out at what they perceive is danger.  It is essential that photographers and children keep their distance. 

It is quite easy, however, to get great closeups with a short telephoto lens or the zoom on a point-and-shoot compact.  With so many excited people crowded around these frightened animals, a longer lens and a lower angle are necessary to give the appearance of birds in the wild.  Since the release takes place on the upper deck, a fast shutter speed is not a problem and the sky is the perfect background.

In addition to the three birds being released, the workers from the conservancy displayed several birds that for any of several reasons could not be released.  My personal favorite was this beautiful Barbary Falcon.  i have always been fascinated by falcons and falconry.  It is hard to believe that such delicate beauty surrounds a fierce killing machine.  I was disappointed that it was not to be released.  I don’t recall the reason. 

The big thrill was an American Bald Eagle that had been shot and lost a part of its wing.  Though the eagle has lived in the conservancy’s large flight aviary for more than five years it is anything but tame.   It was saved for last and was not allowed in close proximity of the passengers.  The handler moved to a place on the docking pier that allowed her to keep the eagle away from the too curious and less cautious.  I’m sure the eagle appreciated that consideration.

in addition to the birds being displayed by Last Chance Forever, the folks from Vanishing Texas River Cruise kept a running commentary on what we were seeing with a quite interesting history of Lake Buchanan and a few yarns spun around a few colorful characters. 

Though the release of rehabilitated birds was a special treat, the river cruises are scheduled on a regular basis.  They often see eagles over the lake and have experts on board to point out and identify wildlife around the lake.  We were fortunate on our cruise, seeing a pair of bald eagles building a nest in a dead tree over the lake.  It was a very pleasant day.  It is wonderful way to spend a weekend  relaxing.  in addition to the cruises, cabins and lodging are available at Canyon of the Eagles Resort.

The next release in conjunction with the Vanishing Texas River Cruise is tentatively scheduled for the third weekend in December.  For more information and cruise schedule contact Vanishing Texas River Cruises – at Canyon of the Eagles at 1-512-756-6986 or 1-800-474-8374.  Their website is http://www.vtrc.com/   Last Chance Forever, The Bird of Prey Conservancy maintains a website at http://www.lastchanceforever.org/

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My enthusiasm for rock formations is fading. That may be from over a month of studying Southwestern geology or the constant battle with persistent haze over the Southwestern geology.

I’ve been processing a few images in HDR to circumvent the problem. That works to a certain extent but my HDR expertise needs honing. I can’t resist the urge to pump up the color. This picture is from the overlook at the Canyonlands National Park Visitor Center. It is not an HDR but I pushed pretty hard on the contrast button. Notice the snow capped mountain peaks in the background. It gets very cool in the high desert at night.

Note: I read a sign posted by the Park Service that directly blames the haze on coal-burning power generating stations. It is the worst when winds are from the Southeast – Page, AZ.

We’re camped in Dead Horse Point State Park. There is a very scenic overlook that is fantastic for both morning and evening light. Getting a good spot for pictures at Dead Horse Point requires an early arrival and patience. It is a very popular spot. We didn’t get back from Canyonlands in time to enjoy the early part of sunset but did manage a few colorful images from the red evening light. Although it looks like an HDR, this image of the red light on a twisted juniper is purely photograph with just a touch of shadow lightening.

I returned for a morning session and was there just at sunrise. The place was already crowded. I moved off to one side, edging along some treacherous cliffs and overhangs that I would not have been allowed to traverse had Jane been with me.     I found a soft rock and cuddled up with myself to stay warm until the light was just right.

The light and colors can be very contrasty. But, it also is very saturated and warm. It is the ideal situation for HDR with long shadows and extreme contrast. Mine were not perfect but the HDR skills are coming along. The image I liked best, however, was not an HDR but this self-portrait. Shooting with my 12~24 lens, I was having a hard time keeping my shadow out of the image. Finally I gave up and just included the shadow as a part of the picture. Now, it isn’t just a part … it is the picture.  

I realize that I have nearly completed this article and not included an HDR example. Here is one from this morning’s shoot at Dead Horse Point. As I said, it isn’t perfect but sometimes a poor image is better for learning. At least I hope I am learning from my mistakes. 

HDR of Dead Horse Point Sunrise

This image is the result of three exposures bracketed at two stop intervals– two over, two under and one right on. I did some processing in Photoshop Elements but can’t remember exactly what I did. I think I just lightened the shadows and added the unsharp mask to enhance the foreground tree. The HDR processing was done in Dynamic-Photo HDR, selecting the “Human Eye” version of the tone-mapping result. As usual, I liked the image immediately after processing (otherwise I would not have saved it), but started to find fault after a few “second looks.” I’ve learned from my mistakes that it is a good idea to put your favorites aside for a few minutes, hours, days – forever – and come back later for a more objective evaluation. I need to be more diligent in practicing what I preach.  

We’ve had an interesting and exciting voyage to this point. My lack of enthusiasm for early morning photography, however, is an indication that we should head back to Texas. We’ll return any budget excess to the coffers and start planning the next adventure. Wonder what Montana geology is like? 
l8r

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We drove into Moab on Monday, October 6. Jane needed to restock the cupboard and the truck was on empty. What a place – Moab is purely tourism. You can find outfitters and tour guides for nearly any adventure imaginable. Four-wheel drive, overland adventures into the outback areas of Canyonlands or Arches National Parks, four-day float trips down the Colorado River, hikes into the wildest of areas, and the snow-covered peaks hovering over Moab had local businesses yearning for ski season. Mountain biking and dirt bike adventures are also quite popular in this vast area of Public Lands. The BLM has some restrictions on the use of land managed by them but nothing nearly as stringent as the National Park Service.

We found a grocery store, filled the truck with diesel and visited the Moab Visitor Center. It was there that we learned of a nearby wetland preserve. Who would have guessed it? Here we are in the highest and driest areas of the US and we come across wetlands. Jane got directions to the Scott M. Matheson Wetland Preserve. We managed to miss the turnoff and ventured even further into the unknown. We were on a paved road leading through BLM property. We stopped at a trailhead/picnic area that had some of the best petroglyphs we have seen.

A few campers came by and, being the curious type, we followed their backtrack to see if we were missing a hidden campsite. That led us to some of the most “alternative” living styles you can imagine. People were living in caves dug back into the limestone cliffs. There were two homes that were almost exact replicas of Anasazi ruins. The masonry was a little more modern but the design was directly from ancient cliff dwellings, no roof other than the overhanging cliff. One odd feature – they were connected to commercial power lines. Even the cave dwellers had electricity.

We found the wetlands preserve on our second attempt. It was nice. We followed a one-mile, handicap-accessible path through the preserve, stopping at a nice viewing blind, but saw very little in the way of wetlands wildlife. We had been told that water was scarce. It was just too dry for the critters we had hoped to see.

We left there and drove back to Arches National Park, which is less than ten miles from Moab. The roads were being paved with fresh tar and white gravel. Only one lane was open and traffic was backed up waiting for an escort. It was a little annoying but no big deal. We’re always complaining about road conditions. It seems silly to complain about repairing those conditions. 

Arches has a nice Visitor Center and Museum. We walked through the museum and watched the orientation movie. The steep climb from the Visitor Center to the first view point is a scenic drive but too narrow to pulloff.

Balanced Rock, Arches National Park

We didn’t make our first stop until we reached Balanced Rock. There is a picnic area just across from this very popular viewpoint. We stopped for lunch and I tried using my polarizing filter to cut thru the haze for an image of the snow-capped peaks of the La Sal Mountains behind Balanced Rock. Back lighting made the haze even more evident. It took some Photoshop adjustments to make this image acceptable.

The history and legends of the area interest me more than geology and lectures on how millions of years of upheaval and erosion formed the canyons and arches. Delicate Arch, however, is a must-see site. It is the unofficial symbol of Utah.

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park

This image was made from the most accessible and easy to reach viewpoint I could find. It is just a short walk from the historic Wolfe Ranch site. Unlike most images of the arch, I made no attempt at an artistic representation. This is what it is – a popular site that is always difficult to photograph because of the throngs trying to get close. You can just make out dozens of people walking along a trail that leads to the “best view” of the arch. This shot is with my 18~135mm lens set to 135mm. I got closer and used my 300mm for a tight shot. I like this one better.

I probably spent more time reading about and photographing the old buildings and corral at Wolfe Ranch than I did at Delicate Arch.

Historic Wolfe Ranch in Arches National Park

It is the typical story of how this area was settled by ranchers and pioneers. They were the rugged sort, not expectant of any luxuries. Every element of their lives was functional, practical, and only what they could make with their own two hands. The house shown here is much nicer than the original home of Wolfe and his son. This was built to please his daughter who joined Wolfe after he and his son established the ranch. The original home was a hole in the ground with a thatch, mud and rock roof. This house has a window, hinged door and roughly hewn furniture.

We had hoped to make it to the end of the road and hike the trail to Landscape Arch from the Devil’s Garden turnaround. We did but the sun was on the wrong side of Landscape Arch and had dropped behind some tall cliffs. The images were disappointing. This arch needs to be photographed much earlier.  Sunrise would be best; no later than noon, I think.

It was well after dark when we got back to the trailer. It had been a long but interesting day. We went to bed wondering what a new dawn would bring.
l8r

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I finally made the enormous effort necessary to match morning light and photography. I was at the East Gate of Zion National Park before sunrise. It was cold. And I was not feeling very creative. I sat my tripod and camera in the general area to photograph Checkerboard Mesa when the sun came over the ridge to the east, then jumped back into the truck to stay warm. The sun didn’t cooperate. Somebody moved East!  

After watching the sun strike formations farther down the canyon, I snapped a few pictures of the famous mesa and loaded everything back into the truck. The light was not special. I missed that pink, rosy effect of morning light. I guess the mountain air is just too clear.  Even morning light was harsh.

We have been here for three days. Every day has been marvelous for site seeing but none of my pictures have been thrilling. I thought it was from doing most of our site seeing in midday light. Obviously, that is not the entire problem. Zion is just too vast to project in two dimensions. As a matter of fact, the entire Southwest trip has been like that – Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, and Grand Canyon. The vastness of the American Southwest overwhelms most photographers. I’m no exception. Everything looks like a common snapshot. I don’t want snapshots. I have tried panoramas but that format is clumsy to display and hard to edit. And, it still doesn’t display the immensity or the feel of grandeur.

I watched a show last night on the Red Desert, the high desert of Wyoming. You can span the horizon for hours and see nothing. Of course, the desert is teeming with life. Throughout the deserts, plains, mesas, buttes, plateaus, peaks, canyons, mountains and valleys of this great southwest, life is watching us see nothingness. It is that perception of nothingness or the vastness that is so difficult to represent on film – or in digits. I’m thinking I need to get closer, concentrate on detail – contradict the perception of nothingness.

I was concentrating on the texture of some huge boulders with steep cliffs as a background when movement distracted me. Big Horn Sheep!

Young Desert Big Horn in Zion National Park

They were just a few yards away but I was working with my 12~24 lens. I watched for a few minutes, hoping they would not notice me. That was no big deal. Cars began stopping and the big ram and a slightly smaller one bounded up the slope but the females stayed right by the edge of the road, eating leaves off a favorite bush. The rams stood higher on the hill, watching.

Note: The ram shown in the picture is the smaller of the two. I had already inserted the photo before noticing the difference.

I crossed the road to get my 300mm lens out of the truck. The herd remained near the edge of the road for at least fifteen minutes. I took dozens of photos — up close with detail. Again, my pictures are not thrilling. These are wild things; a part of the grandeur, the nothingness, the vastness. I don’t get that feeling from my photographs. They seem to have learned to accept tourism as a part of their daily life. It’s almost like going to the zoo. I don’t know if it is sad or if I should be glad that they are so adaptive. I guess that is part of my enigma.

This time, however, light really is part of the problem. I have some sharply focused and well-composed images but the light is dull. They were in a dark, shaded area the entire time. Maybe I need to learn to adapt.

We may try again tomorrow. My wife was very envious when she found that she had missed the Big Horn. They are not nearly as elusive as the park literature reported.
l8r

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We’re here. It’s awesome: Simply indescribable. Defies expression or description. I’m not sure a picture is going to be a thousand words. It’s hard to determine which way to point a camera.We pulled in a few minutes before we were supposed to arrive. After a chat with the nice lady at the registration desk, we pulled into camping spot number 14. We had been a bit anxious about being preempted by a Rockefeller, Roosevelt, or Kennedy but the reservations office was true to its word. We had what Jane had been led to believe was the best camping spot on the North Rim. It is right on the rim of the canyon.

There was a young couple still in the spot when we arrived. They were still packing their equipment from a night of tent camping. I pulled in and parked while they finished packing. We couldn’t resist a walk along the rim. What a fantastic site. Our door faced the South Rim. That gave us beautiful light both for sunrise and for sunset. For those planning a visit to North Rim Campground, the campground layout can be viewed online. There are several sites much like number 14, at least four. Reservations must be made far in advance.

We completed camp setup, had lunch and selected a driving tour to Cape Royal Point and Hiking Trail. The drive is about 20 miles and the hike less than a mile. Every turn in the twisting road brought more ooohs and ahs. The drive was made much longer because we stopped at nearly every overlook and viewpoint.

One negative to the majestic scenery was a soft haze over the canyon. It eliminated the color from distant objects. I had remembered to pack a polarizing filter. It did reduce the haze but there was little that could be done to eliminate it. We’re not sure what was causing the haze, or if it is permanent. There were no burns in progress. It could be left from recent burns. I suspect it was coming from a coal-burning power generating station in Page. That wasn’t confirmed, however, and is a bit controversial for the intent of this post.

I later learned to use the Auto Levels function of Photoshop to make the haze more acceptable.

Grand Canyon Haze

What that did is cause a blue monochromatic effect behind the bright red sandstone cliffs and ridges in the foreground. It seemed to push the color forward, sort of “in your face.” Maybe not a perfect solution but I found the effect pleasing. It’ll have to do.

I imagined the canyon to be a model; a beautiful, very professional model, a super model. The canyon helped me make photographs. It seemed to say, “Look! I put that dead tree there for you. Use it as a foreground.” Or, “Hey, wait for the clouds. They cause a beautiful dappled effect.” Taking a bad image is difficult but I did manage to delete about half of the hundreds I was taking each day. I’ll have to eliminate a few more. I’m running out of disk space.  

Exposure caused some difficulty. Usually, I set the aperture and let the meter choose the shutter speed. That wasn’t working with the dark, saturated colors in the canyon and high values of the clouds in the sky. Getting the darker colors to match exposures with the clouds and sky required a gradated neutral density filter. Fortunately, I had bought one just before leaving on this trip. It has come in handy. But, the ND filter doesn’t do much for eliminating haze. The polarizing filter got most of the work. I changed to Manual Exposure to handle the over-exposed skies and brought the shadow values up with Photoshop.

Note: It is not possible to recover clipped (over exposed) highlight detail. On my Nikon, I set the review mode to “highlights” to see any clipping. It will blink black. In digital, always expose for the highlights and process for the shadows. Just the reverse of the good old days.

I thought of stacking filters but was shooting a lot of wide angle and stacking caused too much vignetting. Besides, rotating a polarizing filter and keeping a rotating gradated filter in sync is a huge pain.

We were flabbergasted after our drive to Cape Royal Point. We included a three-mile jaunt to Point Imperial, the highest viewpoint in the park. It was a day of great memories. We were exhausted after the drive, more from the excitement than the short hikes we took. I did manage to transfer pictures to the computer before quiet time. You are allowed to run a generator from 7-9 in the morning and 6-8 at night. I may not have mentioned that there are no hookups. We’re boon docking. There is a dump station for dumping the sewage and fresh water to fill the water tank. We’ll dump on the way out. And, I do have access to WiFi at the General Store. The coffee there is pretty good too.

We’ve just returned from another exhausting day of fun. I’ll save more excitement for another post. It is just getting better everyday.

L8r

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I was reminded of that infamous old adage yesterday (Sept 10) as our planned personal guided tour into Canyon de Chelly failed. We were so organized. Jane, my wife, is the organized one. She had a checklist and queried me often on my readiness. I’m the one less likely to have a plan. But, my camera and lenses were clean, all the filters organized, and I was in a great frame of mind for creating art. All the equipment and extra clothing were loaded into the truck. We had checked and rechecked our plan. Then it rained. And rained. And rained.This is what separates “Professional” photographers from all other photographers. My definition of Professional Photographer is someone who depends on photography to feed and clothe the family. I’ve made money with photographs; some years were quite profitable. But, I never gave up the day job.

Keeping a stiff upper lip and hoping for clearing skies, Jane and I drove down to the Holiday Inn to meet Daniel, our Navajo guide. Daniel tried to smile but I could read between the wrinkles. He left the decision to us. It was raining as we discussed the situation. We finally decided to cancel in favor of better weather the next day. I suggested to Daniel that Jane and I would drive the South Rim Trail and try again tomorrow for the trip through the canyon.

We were a bit skeptical but with nothing else to do started out on the South Rim Road in drizzling rain. We pulled into the first overlook, Tunnel Canyon Overlook, and my thoughts were not positive. All I saw was dull, lifeless light. Jane pointed out how much more vibrant the canyon walls are in the rain and low and behold … a waterfall. Water runoffs occur quickly when the rain is falling on solid rock. What was saw was not a river or creek dumping water over the cliff. It was a temporary waterfall made by the dreary conditions. It actually made a pretty photograph.

And, Jane is a real trooper. She held the umbrella over my equipment and us as we slogged along a muddy path to get the right angle for a photograph. She was a bit frightened, I think. She said several times, “Be careful. Be very careful. There is nothing to stop us if we slip.” She was right. It was a sheer cliff below the path – a drop of several hundred feet. We got the picture and had fun together. Jane is a clean freak. We stood in the rain getting soaked, me laughing at Jane, as we cleaned the mud from our shoes to keep from getting the truck interior dirty. 

We drove the length of the South Rim Trail with it raining the entire time. Spider Rock is the last overlook. By then I was so disappointed that we just sat in the truck and talked. It had also gotten cool. We were much higher in elevation and Jane had gotten wet. We turned on the heat and just talked. We left Spider Rock, driving slowly on the return, discussing plans for our next adventure. We were all the way back to Tunnel Canyon Overlook when the skies changed to blue and a huge rainbow appeared over the canyon.

I pulled in to Tunnel Canyon Overlook and snapped a few images of the rainbow. I had lost the creative juices. Nothing was feeling right. We moved back up the trail to Tseyi Overlook. I took a few pictures of the Navajo farm below. The light was nice and the images were better. Remnants of the rainbow mark the passing of a storm as shadows sweep over the Navajo farm in Canyon de Chelly.

Then, I decided a rainbow over Spider Rock was the image I wanted. Needless to say, we broke the speed limit getting back to Spider Rock. There was barely any part of the rainbow visible when we got there. Heavy shadows surrounded the tall sphere known as Spider Rock. I took several pictures from several angles but wasn’t thrilled with the result. We closed shop. Evening was upon us. Maybe I should be inspired by evening? How about a moonlight image of Spider Rock? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm….

Anyway, we are saving the original plan for another day, and I’ve decided that I may not be a Professional Photographer … by my own definition … but I am certainly a Persistent Photographer.   Thanks to Jane. :-)
l8r

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We crossed the Tusas Mountains today, a leisurely drive from Pilar through Taos and following US-64 over the mountains to Chama. We arrived early in order to pick up our tickets for tomorrow’s train ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The Rio Chama, a great trout stream, is right behind our camper. When it is quiet I can hear the water running. Unfortunately, I made a last minute decision to leave my waders and fishing gear at home. Maybe I will get to see someone fly-fishing. I really want a picture.

We stopped at the Chama Visitor and Information Center on our way back from the train station. They have free Internet so Jane sent me back to the RV for my computer. She wanted to watch the episode of Big Brother that she missed Thursday. While she was watching the rerun, I learned that the old steam train would be returning from Antonito (Colorado) and was easily accessible to photographers. 

Antique Narrow Gauge Steam Engine

I jumped in the truck and ran out highway-17 to intercept the train. That was fun, exciting and rewarding. And, I met a few other photographers with the same idea. We followed the train all the way back to Chama, taking pictures then jumping ahead of the train for the next viewing area.

Access to the Internet had closed before I could check email or post to the blog. I’m entertaining myself by editing pictures and running some much-needed backup. I also need to make more space on my hard drive.  JPEG files use a lot of space. Tomorrow may be more of the same. The train ride is an all day excursion. The visit center will be closed before we return. I hope to have some great scenics from the trip and maybe a few train images from an “on board” perspective.

Cumbres - Toltec Narrow Guage Train

Chama Continued:

I was right; the “onboard” perspective is different. We boarded the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad at 10:00 a.m. in Chama, New Mexico for our 64-mile journey across the San Juan Mountains to Antonito, Colorado. As you may be able to discern from the above picture, it was a quite nostalgic journey. This old narrow gauge railroad and its historic coal-burning steam engines are remnants of a time in the west that many railroad buffs try diligently to preserve. Except for a few full-time engineers, the staff is volunteers, many of whom spend each season “working on the railroad.” One of the Docent, equivalent to a tour guide, was from Georgetown, Texas. Since we are nearly neighbors, she immediately tried recruiting us into the volunteer staff.

The trip across and through the mountains was absolutely breathtaking. I can only imagine how much more magnificent it might be in two weeks when the leaves begin to change. As for pictures, I discovered that the “onboard” perspective was a bit more restrictive than I had hoped. It was either a picture from the left window or a picture from the right window. I’m talking about pictures of the train. Each curve, and there were many of them, would offer another view of the old engine spewing coal dust and steam. The sulphur smell was very strong at times and there was no way to avoid the soot and coal dust that settled on your clothes and your body.

Another “onboard” obstacle was the motion. There was not a still moment. We were rocking and rolling and swaying and jerking. And when we found a smooth straight area the steel wheels on the steel track created such a vibration that it was difficult to get a sharp image. Since the stock agencies reject so many images taken at ISO 400, I chose a very wide-angle lens and shot wide open to obtain the necessary shutter speed to overcome the train’s impact. It seems to have worked on a few images.

A pointer for all you photographers that I have learned from endless rejects: view your images at 100 percent to accurately judge the technical quality. Anything less and you won’t see all the artifacts and graininess. Judging sharpness will also be more accurate. Try sharpening an image at 100 percent and you can see if it is “really” sharp. Also, don’t try editing at any higher than 100 percent. That will only create problems that don’t actually exist.

The train made several stops along the way. It had to stop several times to take on water. We crossed the Cumbres Pass at 10015 feet. That was the highest point. We stopped in Osient for a huge and delicious turkey dinner for lunch. Staying awake for the rest of the trip was difficult.

The last five or six miles heading into Antonito was high desert plains. It was a steep descent with many switchbacks but the scenery was much less spectacular than the Cumbres Pass and Toltec Gorge. The return trip was on a large bus. The scenery again was spectacular but most of the passengers were either tired of taking pictures of sleeping from the overabundant lunch.

That night we made preparations for our departure. Our next stop would be less hospitable; no showers, no laundry facility; no Internet. We showered for the last time for several days and Jane did all the laundry. Arizona, here we come.
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